Now that the days are colder, there’s nothing more I like to do, in the evening, than to put on my PJ’s and some fluffy socks to crawl into bed with a good book.

I recently re-read one of my favourite books ‘’And Then There Were None’’ by Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie is also known as the queen of crime books. All of her books can be found in the detective, mystery and & crime genre. And Then There Were None is actually her best-selling novel and one of the best selling books of all time.Picture from the Official Agatha Christie Facebook page

It’s quite a small book so perfect for a lazy Sunday or to lose yourself on a flight. The book was recommended to me years ago and its one of the books that I always catch myself recommending to anyone who is looking for a good book. So, from me to you, a must read! Also great to give as a present 😉

So what’s all the fuss about?

Eight complete strangers receive a mysterious invitation by a certain Mr. U.N. Owen. The purpose of the invitation is different for each of the persons. A job offer, a business proposal, a meeting with a mutual acquaintance are examples of ways to lure the individuals into accepting the invite. The meeting place is the same: a mansion on an isolated island. Even though no one knows the host, everyone accepts the invite and heads to the island where they meet. The housekeeping couple welcomes them but the host seems to have a delay and hasn’t arrived.
After being welcomed, a record is played from an unknown place in the house. This record reveals personal information about the guests and they find out that they have one thing in common: murder. The record accuses each of them of being guilty of murder.

In each of the rooms, a rhyme, ‘’Ten Little Soldiers’’, hangs on the wall. This rhyme tells a story of ten little soldiers that each die in a very peculiar way until there is none left.
Together with the two servants, there are ten people in the house. See where this is going?

There are 10 statues in the centre of the dining table. After the record has revealed everyone’s secrets, a huge commotion exists between the guests. In the middle of this commotion, one of the guests takes a sip from his drink, chokes, collapses and dies on the spot. The guests then realize that one of the statues on the table has been broken in their inattention. They soon figure out that the ‘’Ten Little Soldiers’’ rhyme seems to reflect the way that the person died. (One choked his little self and then there were nine). One by one, the people present are mysteriously dying and their death, again, matches the rhyme. Consequently, the statues keep on breaking one by one. After searching the house and island to find the killer, they find nobody else and conclude that the killer is amongst them.

Who is the killer? Who is Mr. U.N. Owen and why did he plot this gathering? I am not spoiling any details! I can assure you that it is a total unpredictable plot. Although it is a small book, it tells a captivating story with many twists. For curious people, like me, a pleasure to read.

In 2015, And Then There Were None was released as a short TV series of three episodes. This mini series was shot to celebrate the 125th birth date of Agatha Christie. Even though there are significant differences between the book and series, I still enjoyed watching the episodes and wish they had made it more extended (fangirl).

Check out the trailer!

What is your favourite book? Have you read anything by Agatha Christie?